not available in your area

A device that lets you access virtually all available human knowledge, navigate your area, reach out to other people and document your experiences at the push of a button from anywhere at any time is not a frivolity.

Almost certainly, this is going to pass. Net Neutrality, at least federally-enforced Net Neutrality, is basically dead, and there’s nothing we can really do about that now. Calling Congress won’t help, and never really could, since everything will be decided solely by the FCC’s five commission members, one of whom is Pai himself, and two others who are similarly dead-set on corporate fuckery as a platonic ideal. That means this plan will probably pass 3-2 no matter what.

So what now? How do we live in a post Net Neutrality world?

Pai’s plan would put internet communications under the control of the FTC and not the FCC. The FTC would not have the authority to enforce Net Neutrality in any capacity. However, they do have the authority to enforce that corporations are transparent about their practices. Plainly put, corporations will be forced to deliver what they advertise. They can package the internet, offer paid prioritization, and the like, but they will have to say so.

This means that if a service provider offers a neutral internet, they will have to deliver. And almost certainly, many if not most service providers will have to, or face backlash. Some will try to deneutralize the internet, sure, but they will be stepping into outrage hell. Democracy must now be waged on the corporate level, and not governmental. This means complaints to ISPs, calling out bad practices, making a ruckus and creating backlash when ISPs begin enacting anti-consumer practices.

Unfortunately, this will be incredibly difficult. Telecom is currently an oligopoly, which means that there are few if any competitive options available for most consumers, and the FCC has made it actively difficult for startups to compete. It will now be of utmost importance to see what internet options are available, and whether they offer neutral access to the internet. Even if you only have one or two big ISPs available in your area, small internet startups appear and fizzle out all the time, so keep an eye out. They typically fail because, being small companies, they lack the access to the infrastructure that big cable companies already have access to, and therefore can’t supply internet service at competitive speeds. However, corporate-scale net neutrality will become a second point of competition besides speed. If a small company offers slower speeds but neutral access, they should be supported.Eventually, if big telecom companies see they’re losing consumers to smaller, neutral providers, they will change their practices too, and everyone benefits, even the people without options. And with any luck, they’ll learn that lesson sooner rather than later. (this process will be accelerated if bigger companies offer neutral access from the get-go, instead of having to rely solely on the whims and fortune of Small Business™)

All this is full of maybes and ifs, and may not work, and may take a long time, and federally-enforced Net Neutrality is definitely preferable, but all is not lost. There will almost definitely be a lot of nasty greedy bullshit that will affect a lot of people, but the fight isn’t over.

Big fish & Begonia, 大鱼海棠, pin. Dà Yú Hǎi Táng, 🐬& 🌹

Chun is one of ‘the Others’ about to undergo a rite of passage travelling to the sea of the human world as a red dolphin, but the journey does not go safely as she is saved from drowning by a young kind-spirited human boy who dies in consequence. She chooses to protect and raise the young fish safely until it can return to live back in the human world - even when she knows that the journey is forbidden & dangerous, and she might lose her immortal life because of it.

I recently made this for a party and all my friends seemed to love it (I had none left at the end of the night!). I’ve been thinking how to witch-ify it, and I have a bit of an idea, but please let me know if you can think of anything else!

Ingredients:

1 bottle raspberry Smirnoff vodka

1 bottle orange Smirnoff vodka

1 ½ gallon raspberry lemonade

6 pack strawberry blonde beer (I had Shiner Strawberry Blonde, but if that’s not available in your area, Redd’s Strawberry Ale should be a good substitute)

3 or 4 limes

Tools:

1.5 gallon container, bowl, or drink dispenser (whatever you have available tbh)

Knife

Wooden spoon

Directions:Pour approx. 1/3 of a bottle of raspberry vodka into a 1.5 gallon (or larger) bowl or drink dispenser. Then, pour approx. ½ bottle of orange vodka into the container. Next, add the whole ½ gallon of raspberry lemonade. Fill the rest of container with strawberry beer (It took about 5 beers to fill the remainder of my 1.5 gallon dispenser). Cut 3 to 4 limes into small slices and add to the mixture. Grab a wooden spoon and mix in a clock wise motion to rid the room of impurities. Serve at room temp or over ice!

i saw a post about how when youre living in abusive situations you should keep a backpack full of necessities and soothing things so that if you need to leave bc ur in danger or upset youre prepared!! do you have any suggestions for putting that together if this makes sense?

sure, you can check this post (link), this tag, and here’s a list of some important things to bring (not everything will apply to everyone);

There are a few approaches to this. In my opinion, it’s a good idea to have a bag packed with everything you need ready to go and to store it somewhere accessible; if there’s a shed outside for example, that’s often easier to get to in an emergency. If you use a backpack or handbag every day, you can also put a lot of these things in it and make a point to return them after you use them, so it’s ready to go if and when you need to make a quit escape, and this can also help you avoid suspicion from your abuser/s.

This list is huge because I’m trying to make sure I don’t leave off anything that may be important, but you likely won’t need everything here. Needs vary from person to person.

Money: Cash is ideal, and hold onto as much as you can. If you can open a secret bank account and move some money into it, that can help too especially if your abuser has access to your usual account. If you open another account with your current bank, the process is often easier and some banks have a system where they can link your accounts which makes it easier to transfer money between them (and the transfers are often instant). You can also keep gift cards for grocery stores (if you want to store food stamp vouchers, look into how long you can hold them before they expire, I’m outside the US so I can’t advise).

Mobile phone: ideally, a fully charged phone (and pack the charger too) on an active plan in your own name or with credit on it, but even a phone without money on it can be used to call emergency services. If money permits, you can also pack a phone, SIM card, and recharge voucher, though both SIM cards and recharge vouchers do expire. Familiarise yourself with how to set up the SIM or set it up beforehand (but again, some expire after 30 days so how you approach that will depend). You may also want to find out whether your country publishes numbers in their directory - sometimes you can request that your number be kept silent.

Keys: even if you’re not planning on returning. Whatever you usually take when you leave the house (e.g. wallet, keys and phone) should come with you. Getting copies of your keys to keep in your bag is a good idea.

Contacts: support services for survivors of abuse often have fold-out papers that look like business cards and have phone numbers of support agencies you can call in a crisis. It’s also a good idea to have hard copies of the phone numbers of friends, family, caseworkers etc in case you can’t access your phone for any reason.

Documents: ID documents (such as your birth certificate, citizenship papers, passport, drivers license, social security cards, proof of age card etc), bank and credit cards, medical insurance proof/medicare cards, restraining orders, adoption papers, custody arrangement papers, rental agreements, and copies of any statements made to police. It’s also a good idea to get copies; you can get verified true copies by getting a Justice of the Peace to sign them, and scanning or photographing your paperwork is a good idea. You can also do this with ID cards; photocopy front and back and get these witnessed by a JoP.

Clothes: This depends on season and weather but always bring changes of undergarments including socks, and wear closed shoes. Focus on utility rather than fashion when you pack, and try to bring something for all weather in your area. Layering to stay warm is a good approach as you can add or remove layers as the weather requires.

Miscellaneous: A lighter, torch, batteries, a notebook or paper and pen, and any other tools you tend to use.

Hygeine and personal care: Medications and prescriptions, toothbrush and paste, menstrual pads or tampons, baby wipes/wet wipes (even if you don’t usually use them, they’re really handy), tissues, soap, banaids and antiseptic (or a small first aid kit if possible) and anything else you use regularly.

Keepsakes: anything you don’t want to lose that you can carry, so things like jewelery (which can also potentially be sold or borrowed against), small electronics like tablets, diaries, photographs, mementos, etc. Things like stimtoys are a good idea too, and books if you like to read.

Bedding: A small pillow such as a travel pillow or an inflatable one, and a sleeping bag can be helpful (even with accommodation, sometimes the beds provided are less than stellar).

If you need to pack light: focus on ‘wallet, keys phone’, medication and hygeine, and try to bring a couple changes of undergarments and socks. Anything you’d take for a night away from home should come with you.

Other advice: Change your digital passwords, clear your internet history and cache, and delete anything your abuser/s could use against you. If you feel comfortable, tell a neighbour what’s going on and make a plan that you can go to them for help if needed. Look into the various safety apps available and try some out with a friend. Scope out your local area and find any phone booths, stores open 24/7, police stations (and other emergency services buildings), and anywhere you could go to for help in a crisis.

Summary: Clarke Griffin doesn’t want to join Cupid’s Arrow, Los Angeles’ newest online dating site but her mother insists she at least give it a try. Enter “Fake Blake”, a man claiming to be Bellamy Blake, TV’s hottest new up and coming actor. With a profile photo that can’t be found on the internet, to stories only the man himself could tell, Clarke starts to wonder if her online crush could be her celebrity crush too. Modern Romantic Comedy AU

draw back your bow (let your arrow go)

Part 1 - Clarke

Tuesday night is her favorite night of the week.

Her roommate works late every Tuesday, which means that Clarke gets the television all to herself. And sure, she could always bring up Netflix or whatever on her laptop if she wanted to watch something that her roommate didn’t. But her favorite show is on Tuesday nights, the only one she actually watches live and not on Hulu a day or five later.

­­­It starts in five minutes, so she grabs her favorite plush blanket from her bed and drags that and a pillow onto the couch in the living room she shares with her best friend Raven. They go to the same college but are in two completely different programs and while Clarke is lucky enough to have help from her mom and stepdad for financing, Raven has to work most nights that she’s not in class.

She grabs the remote and turns on the TV just as the opening credits of The Ark are starting. She blushes a little when Bellamy Blake’s name crosses the screen. He’s by far her biggest celebrity crush at the moment. His character Robert Moore is her favorite and not just because Bellamy is so good looking. Robert is tough and strong but also kind and sweet. He’s a guard on a space station called the Ark that can’t come down to Earth because of a nuclear war a hundred years before that’s left the planet uninhabitable.

Sometimes she feels like a nerd for loving this show so much but it is what it is.

Her phone dings halfway through the episode but she doesn’t check until commercial.

Did you think anymore about joining Cupid’s Arrow?

Clarke rolls her eyes at the text from her mother, who’s been trying to get her to join a new dating site that just started up. It’s supposed to be only for people in the Los Angeles area, where she’s currently living while she attends university.

Mom…I told you. I’m not signing up for a dating site that’s just for L.A. People here are the worst.

Clarke, that’s not very nice! How can you say that when you met Raven there?

She’ll give her mom that one. Raven is by far the most badass chick she’s ever met. She briefly thought about trying to ask her out because the girl is a straight up ten. They were dorm roommates their freshman year and then as soon as Clarke got that college experience out of the way she insisted they get an apartment off campus.

Clarke sighs and pulls her legs up under her on the couch. Her mom only means well. It’s been almost two years since Lexa passed away and while Clarke hasn’t been exactly celibate, it’s still hard to think about being in another relationship.

I’ll think about it.

Her phone dings again almost instantly.

That’s all I ask!

She tosses the phone down on the coffee table with a roll of her eyes and turns back to finish the episode.

When it’s over, instead of pulling up Tumblr to check out spoilers for next week’s episode like she does most nights, she types in cupidsarrow.com into her browser and hits enter.

CUPID’S ARROW: THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO MEET NEW PEOPLE IN THE GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA. WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A ONE NIGHT ROMANCE OR THE SOULMATE OF YOUR DREAMS, CUPID’S ARROW HAS THE LARGEST DATABASE OF FUN, ATTRACTIVE AND AVAILABLE SINGLES IN YOUR AREA!

So, this isn't exactly a writing question, but I'm not sure where else to ask. Is it at all possible for someone with chronic wrist pain, such that they can't take impacts on their hands for any significant length of time, to still learn a martial art? And if so, what martial arts would be best, like ones that focus more on kicks or grappling?

There are students with all sorts of disabilities who are training right now. So, don’t let that stop you.

I’ve worked with martial artists who had a variety of health issues, from those recovering from cancer to eighty year olds training for their black belts. I know of students in other programs ranging from blindness to deafness to only having one arm. Lots of kids with glasses train, and take their glasses off for sparring. One of my training partners for my third degree test was a woman who’d recently recovered from a stroke and had specific health concerns we worked around. There was a certain pace she needed to train at, which was fine. Master Reyes was upfront about it with me when he assigned me to work with her, and she was upfront about it with me. She passed her test by the way.

It is very common in martial arts schools to have students who have specific health concerns, chronic pain, and injuries. It is part of the job of the instructors at these schools to develop work arounds together with their students. Whether the instructor needs to keep an eye on the time because one of the kids you’re training needs to take their meds during your class. These are all issues that can be worked out. (Consider the number of geriatric students who come in on the regular. There are quite a few.)

As martial arts instructors, we are legally obligated to care for our students when they’re on our floor. (And we care about them because they’re family.) You’ll find plenty of teachers who also have or have had injuries whether they’re permanent or not. One of my master’s had a blown out knee from a gymnastics injury, he was thirty years old and he limped around the floor.

People of all ages, all dispositions, and all backgrounds come through a martial arts studio’s door. Sometimes, they’re people with chronic pain, sometimes they have heart issues, sometimes they’re diabetics.

A healthy body is not a necessary requirement for recreation the same way it is in the military or the police. In a healthy martial arts school, you will find instructors who are more than happy to work with you and find solutions that fit your needs. Unless you take a boxing-type martial art like Kickboxing or Muay Thai (and even then), you will be hitting air 90% of the time.

It’ll take time to work out your limits and to find alternative options. However, it will be up to you find those limits. Stay in touch with your doctor. Over time you will learn how to discern between good pain and bad pain, and you’ll be better able to moderate what you can do and how long your participate. It’ll also be up to you to keep your instructor updated.

As for which martial art would work best, I’d actually advise you to start with what you want to be learning (90% of success begins with interest) and work your way around to finding a studio in your area who’d be willing to make the accommodations you need.Those are the people you want to be entrusting your safety to. Those men and women are the good beans. Work with the people who want to work with you towards your success.

When you have a disability or chronic pain here’s what you do when looking for a school:

1) Start with a martial art that interests you.

There’s absolutely no reason why your disability or injury should stand in the way of you learning what you want. I guarantee there is a school out there full of martial arts masters who’ll become a second family to you. So, you should start with what you want. Want to fight like a ninja turtle? (I did when I was five, okay.) Run over to imdb.com or somewhere similar to figure out what the martial arts used in the movie were. Once you have that in hand, go to the internet and look up videos on the Tube. Want to study that? Great! To Google!

2) Do research over what is available in your area.

This is the tough part, your choices are going to be limited based on what’s available and feasible to reach. You may not find what you want available in your area. Google for the local martial arts schools in your area (this goes faster once you have a beat on martial arts you want), and see what comes up. Find one you like? Read the reviews, and make sure to look them up on other review sites like Yelp. Make a list of several (yes, several) you’d be interested in. Always have backups in case the first doesn’t work out. You’re probably going to want family schools, but go with what you want. You’re a customer, and if you sign up, you are going to paying them to provide you with a service. Keep that in mind.

3) Make the call

Once you have the schools and the numbers, give them a call. Most martial arts schools have someone working the desk and reception while the instructors teach. This is the person who makes the appointments and handles the gear.

Ask them if it’d be possible to visit the school, make an appointment, and look in on a class. (You don’t need to be upfront about your needs yet.) This is a common practice for students scouting out schools, so no need to be shy. I recommend looking in on an adult class as it’ll be easier to talk to those students after.

Remember, this is a business so they’re going to try to sell you. If you get easily flustered remember to write up and bring a list of questions to ask that you wrote up beforehand.

4) Look in on a class

Before you sign up for the first lesson, look in on a class first. Half the success of any martial arts program is going to be how well you sync with the people who are going to teach you. Watching a class lets you scout out an instructor’s teaching style and talk to the students without pressure. Come a little early so you can watch the students file in, how they interact with each other, and the warm ups.

Think about it like dating. You want a match who works for you.

The general feel and attitude of a good school is one that is relaxed. The teacher is in good spirits, humble, and explains easily. The students look happy when they’re on the floor, they’re in a good mood, social with each other both before and after class, and everyone is generally happy. They’re focused when they’re on the floor. Students who are happy with their school will try to sell you on it if you ask. They’re enthusiastic! You are looking for a warm, friendly, relaxed, and happy environment.

Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.

You don’t want to be in a school that’s controlling, where the instructor is uptight, angry, or yells at their students. If they’re prideful or act like the source of all wisdom, then you don’t want to be there. You don’t want a place where the students seem unhappy. If you walk into a place like this, leave. You don’t have to bring up your health issues. Know it’s not for you. Look elsewhere.

5) Talk to the instructor

Whoever you talk with on the phone will probably have told the school’s owner or instructor that you’ll be there, so don’t be surprised if they seek out out either before or after the class. If they don’t and you like what you see, introduce yourself. Express your interest and ask if you can set up an appointment (either now if you like it) or at a later date where you can talk more. Let the instructor sell you on their school.

You can either bring up your health issues at this point, or later when you talk to them again. See what they say. It is important to be upfront about it because whoever you will be training with values your health and safety. That is part of their job. Do not forget it.

You will, probably, find plenty of instructors who’ve worked with students that had health issues before. They’re either going to say thanks but no thanks, (if that’s the case, look elsewhere, you want the masters who want you) or they’re going to ask you some questions about your specific needs.

If you decide you like this person and their school, make an appointment to take the first beginner’s lesson. (This is usually free! Sometimes, you get a free gi too! Heyo!)

6) Take the First Lesson

What it says on the tin. They may ask you about your needs again, if they don’t remember or don’t bring it up then remind them. Anyway, take the lesson, see how you feel.

Like it? Like the price package? Yay! Sign up.

Don’t like it? Repeat steps 2-6 with another school.

7) Double Check With Your Doctor (Bonus, Important Step)

I’d double check your needs and discuss this course with your doctor in step 2, but do it again anyway. The school may ask for your medical documentation anyway, and you will, of course, need to sign a waiver. Have a list of everything that might possibly go wrong and what the signs are when your wrists have had too much. Give it to your new instructors, they will put it in your file and reference back to it over your time spent training with them.

8) Start Taking Classes

You’ve made it to Step 8. The last step. The big kahuna. Enjoy your new martial arts life. Remember to keep working to build the bond of trust between you and your teacher. Don’t be afraid to bring up your needs and remind them if they forget.

When I was a little bean, I broke my leg. During the latter half of my recovery after I finally got off the crutches, I still had specific activities I couldn’t engage in. I went back to my martial arts school, and started training again. I went from not being able to run (so I had to do other exercises when everyone else did) to not being able to jump (No jumping till June) until I was finally free. (”You can’t jump yet, right?” “No, busabumnim! I can jump today! I can jump!”) My instructors were with me every step of the way, easing me (twelve year old bean) back into it so I could test for my black belt the next year. It was a slow process, but it happened.

In the right school where you feel comfortable and trust your teachers, it’ll be the same for you. There’ll be things you can do, and things you can only do a little, and maybe things you can’t do at all. That’s not a mark against you.

The most important thing here is honesty. Your limitations are not insurmountable. A good school with good teachers will figure out how to work around them, and if you sign on that is what you will be paying them to do.

Now:

To my martial arts followers, please leave enthusiastic recommendations of your school and your master in the reblogs or comments so our Anon friend here gets an example of what to look for in their search.

Mum, did you ever get any help for your pain problems in the UK? I'm trying to get my Dr to refer me to a physio or something but they won't listen to me (I think? It's because I'm quite young and afab, as well as being assertive. They don't seem to like that)

No. I had a very not good doctor in the UK who kept me sedated a lot to keep me from complaining, and then took me off the drugs cold turkey because “my dependency was a problem”. Everything was “nerves” with them. “Just nerves.”

My brother is currently going through the exact same thing, unfortunately. Once you’re over 18 in the UK pretty much all help for disabilities (or chronic pain, but chronic pain is rarely recognized in anyone under 18 anyway) just goes away unless you’re able to afford it on your own. Of course it also depends what lottery post code you win. It’s partly why I went I decided to carry on learning holistic therapies along side my actual degree. There was a dearth in pain management treatment options available.

Keep pushing to try and get a prescription for physiotherapy if it’s available on the NHS in your area.

If you have to look elsewhere lots of gyms actuay have “sports rehabilitation” therapists, which is actually how I found a semi-decent physio for my brother. He just… elected not to go after the first few months. Which was sad. But you dont need to have hurt yourself doing sports to see them.

You might also be able to find some decent chiropractic services if you look around, and they in turn might know where to look for further help. Also try googling for “holistic massage” in your area. A lot of really great massage therapists are hiding in the crunchy hippy sector of the UK. (Just take a lot of the wilder claims with a pinch of salt.) If you feel comfortable telling me where you are in private, I might know some people. I didn’t get all those holistic degrees for nothing :p

The UK is not at the same level of self management for pain the US is at, (feels like there’s a chiro or massage specialist on every other corner where I am) but there are places available to you.

S.Coups: He kind of feels like his authority has been challenged since you can look him straight in the eye, but it also makes him feel a little tingly bc that’s a very new and very interesting dynamic for him.

Jeonghan: Doesn’t mind at all; if anything he’s just happy that it makes it easy to kiss you because he doesn’t have to crane his neck down to do so. Anything that reduces the amount of effort he has to put out is fantastic.

Joshua: Turns up the cheese/cringe when it came to his jokes and playful flirting: “How’s the weather up ther-” “JOSHUA I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU-” “bc it’s cold out and I wanted to know if you wanted some hot chocolate~” or “The best part about you being this tall is that I can always find your cute face in a crowd”

Jun: He’d be crazy about your legs, and he’d love it when you wore shorts or a skirt to show them off. However he’d worship all of you, not just your legs. He’d just generally think you were some kind of beautiful goddess of beauty and elegance and he’d be so in awe.

Hoshi: He asks you do do a lot of things for him. “Babe, get that book down from the top shelf,” or “Babe, pick me up” and even though you remind him that height does not equal strength, he doesn’t believe you. You end up giving him a piggy back ride anyways because he’s aggravatingly cute when he wants something.

Wonwoo: Have you seen him with Mingyu? He is 110% about that long limbed cuddle and back hug life. He’ll be low key about it, but the second you wrap your arms around him in anyway it’s all aboard to cuddle station, estimated travel time: as long as humanly possible.

Woozi: He’d be intimidated and honestly would probably feel a lot less masculine at first because of the height difference. You’d have to assure him that you didn’t care about what anyone else thought and that he was definitely manly enough.

DK: The more surface area of your body, the more available space to love. There’s a lot of cute tickle fights and mostly innocent kisses up and down your arms and legs if they’re not being covered. There’s honestly never a time when this boy isn’t touching you.

Mingyu: He’s super excited to find a tall girl, he knows that you two look like a goddamn superhero couple that towers over everyone else. If anyone gets onto the two of you for PDA or something, he just laughs and goes “Oh, we didn’t even notice that there was anyone else in here; you’re so hard to see from up here”

The8: He steals your hoodies without telling you, because they’re long enough to fit him and they smell like you and he likes to wear them when you’re not around and he misses you. You know he does it, but you don’t mind because you can just steal one of his and it fits pretty much the same as one of yours (AND it smells like him too).

Seungkwan: Looks up at you with so much admiration that it’s astounding, almost like you’re a goddess (which you pretty much are with those long ass legs) but also teases you about being his own human umbrella and stands behind you in bright sun, wind, and rain though he’s usually getting just as wet as you are tbh.

Vernon: Doesn’t actually notice the difference. If you ask him about it he’s just like “…oh well damn you are a little taller than me, huh. Whatever.” and continues on with whatever he was doing. He likes you because of you, not what you look like.

Dino: Would love you to be around you and use you as his safety blanket, especially he gets teased by the other members. (Because you are kind of intimidating and having backup that’s tall af really comes in handy sometimes) An embodiment of ✿＼(｡-_-｡) “Kick his ass baby, I got yo flower.”

I missed my train, but you said if I use yours and then an adjacent I can still make my meeting on time? Thanks!

The ticket machine wont take my ticket so I hopped the rail and now the guards are after me and I jump onto the first available train and land , accidentally, into your lap.

Taxi:

Im new to the area and I’ve never called a Taxi? So do I hold out my thumb or whistle?

Your a really cute taxi driver and I’m with my drunk friends because youre driving us home from a bar and my friends are trying to set us up.

Bus

Its pouring down rain and I have to carry my groceries but as soon as I set them down on the bus, my paper bag rips open. You offer to help me carry it up to me apartment and its still pouring so… Can I at least offer you some hot tea?

Hello! 😀🐸
A White’s Tree Frog is a good beginner frog, but as with all frogs you will need to research the care needs of the species and be prepared to spend money to provide everything it needs to stay healthy!
A Reptile Expo would be a good place to go to find out about which frogs are available in your area that would be good beginner frogs! 😊🐸

1. Take formal classes if you can, but know that they aren’t the be-all-end-all.

Formal classes are good in that you learn the language and have materials and exercises and homework.

The bad is that they cost money. Textbooks, especially at the college/university level in the US are completely overpriced and in my opinion not worth it unless you’re using that textbook for all your future classes. Secondly, not all classes are particularly good. You can have a really bad teacher who makes you want to never learn your target language again. You can have teachers who are flaky, incompetent, and sometimes ones that are pretty much abusive.

The other problem is that not every language has classes available. If you’re looking for the “mainstream” languages like English, Spanish, and French, you’re probably in luck. Latin and German are somewhat rarer but usually available. Other languages, it depends on your area. Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Hindi, Russian and others are easier to find in certain areas, but not always. And then there are less spoken languages like some Scandinavian languages, different African languages like Swahili, and indigenous languages are generally very hard to find.

Language classes themselves teach a very particular kind of language which is more formal. That’s good in the sense that you might be studying literature or you want to know how to correctly form sentences and have proper spelling for tests, certifications, essays… academic things. But they usually aren’t always geared towards colloquial language, at least not at first. Sometimes it’s by necessity [where sometimes what’s colloquial requires understanding something more grammatically complex that you don’t know at the time], and sometimes it’s just… not mentioned.

And that’s the other thing. There are times when your language class just… doesn’t mention things. It’s good if you have a teacher or a native speaker to help you, but there are times when you don’t think to ask a question until you’ve graduated.

2. Online resources?

This one really depends. Not all online resources are free, and not all of them are reputable.

If you’ve been considering something like Rosetta Stone, check out something like Duolingo first. They function the same sort of way. They throw you into the language with minimal grammar lessons, and get you forming sentences. That’s good in that it helps you form actual sentences. That’s bad in that sometimes they don’t teach you the grammar beforehand so you might know how a verb conjugates in one context, but you might not know what tense that is or why that specific verb was used.

There are also times when your example sentence wants a specific answer, and the answer you give is technically right but either not what they want… or it possibly means something else just slightly different and you don’t grasp the context.

Duolingo is free, and comes in all kinds of languages, even conlangs [created languages; which I personally am conflicted about but that’s a me thing]… Rosetta Stone is not free, and I believe you have to purchase the software for each language individually. I also am pretty sure Rosetta Stone is VERY expensive.

Online resources also differ in quality and… just the sheer amount of material you can look up. I have no problem finding Spanish grammar references from reputable sources. I have no problem finding native Spanish-speakers from all over the world in forums or on apps that you can talk to them and learn languages with them… This is not the case for every language.

4. Find native speakers

Your experience will vary depending on the native speaker. Also you need to find a native speaker. Also you need to battle social anxiety. Also there are apps or video services like skype… you can find native speakers on all kinds of social media [some of them even post in English and you never knew they were native speakers]…

This is, frankly, a lot of work sometimes. If you’re fine with finding someone on twitter or tumblr, then more power to you. In person, it’s a little bit more… anxiety-ridden, and requires Socializing, and then there are also times where you need to Set Up Boundaries, and not every person you meet is a good person.

So this could help. But boy is it nerve-wracking. My advice is to find a fandom you like and meet some native speakers that way because at least you have something in common.

Making friends and being a Confident Adult… is honestly so weirdly self-consciously difficult.

If nothing else, consider joining a language forum. Word Reference for example has some very helpful forums where you can ask people questions about grammar and things… but the forum rules state (rightly so) that you make an attempt. It’s kind of rude just to say “hey what’s this mean thanks” without doing any kind of legwork yourself.

If you do that for Spanish, you might find yourself in a regionalism showdown which is always kind of funny.

5. Books?

Some books are good. Some books are expensive.

Books are nice in that they can teach you something more formally like a formal class would. Or they can teach you informal things. Or they can contrast both.

Books won’t answer your questions directly which is understandable given that they’re inanimate objects, but also very inconvenient sometimes.

Also some people are not good at explaining things, or they’re so smart that they don’t understand why you’re struggling on a smaller issue so they keep going and you’re kind of left wondering what just happened.

Also, again, books are sometimes expensive.

My suggestion is to find what people recommend and read reviews.

6. Flashcards and/or Memrise

There are lots of solutions for learning vocab. I personally think grammar is more important than vocab, but you also do need to learn various verbs and things… so you need both.

Some people make huge vocab lists. Some people take tons of notes. Check out studyblrs and other langblrs and you can see that some people take this very seriously (and have very nice organizational skills that I do not have).

Some people label everything in the house in a foreign language.

Memrise is kind of like flashcards just online. They’re user-created so they aren’t always 100% accurate, but they’re usually not THAT far off.

Personally, I find these more helpful when they include grammatical gender [in applicable languages], or include whether or not it’s a noun, adjective, verb, or something. Knowing the parts of speech is also helpful in identifying other words like them, or seeing some linguistic patterns.

7. Teach somebody else

I started this blog for Spanish when I was close to graduating and I was afraid I was going to lose my Spanish. In making lists and talking about verbs and explaining some grammar that I had drilled into me, I came to understand Spanish more.

Sometimes I would remember questions I had that now I understand. Or I would remember things that I still didn’t really understand. And sometimes I asked people and then sometimes I got answers.

And I was learning.

And sometimes I had to unlearn something because I learned it wrong. Or I found out I was using some regionalism only used in one country and it sounded funny. Or I’d make a typo or say something that sounded off and someone would correct me (nicely) and I would feel grateful because I was learning.

And honestly when no one corrects me in a while I get very concerned that I made a mistake and people think I’m using some hyper advanced Spanish that they don’t know.

Going over things with someone else, answering their questions, doing research into things… it helps. You go over basics, you go over your fundamentals, you learn that you have no ability to proofread [that might just be me], you look up things a million times because you want to be precise and you learn more and you find academic sources that back you up or kind of explain something.

I personally understand Spanish more now because there were things that I knew that I had to explain to people.

And sometimes academic sources are helpful, but sometimes they’re so in love with their own words that they stop making sense (just saying).

I personally started learning more about Spanish when I started explaining grammatical tenses and moods, and explaining what a particular tense really means, and how you can use one word instead of another and it makes a completely different thing.

Learn together. Learn with someone. Share your passion. You also meet native speakers that way, and other people who are at varying levels of your target language and that helps.

8. Be motivated but know when to take a break + Find what works

You don’t need to live and breathe your target language. It helps. But there are times when you need to step away. It’s not a race. You’re not going to be the Most Fluent Person Ever. That’s not a thing that happens.

Be motivated and make your target language matter.

I learned more on here because I was actively using my skills. In school, I would study hard, but I would also not really touch Spanish when I wasn’t in class or doing homework. I had things to do, and sometimes I was lazy and didn’t care at the time tbh

Find what ways you learn best. I learn best through reading and audio stuff. That’s why I read a lot of things in Spanish, or I play video games in Spanish, or I watch a telenovela that goes on way too long in Spanish.

Find your own learning habits and examine how you work and what you really like to do. I personally hate textbooks and academic jargon. But if I can watch a movie in Spanish with or without subtitles and get it, then I feel better and I’m practicing in my own way.

Sometimes you do need to do homework and exercises. That’s sometimes just a thing you need to do. You do need to learn how to conjugate verbs and memorize things, but it doesn’t ALWAYS have to be a chore.

And try to think of your target language as something fun that you get to do, not something you have to do so you want to do it and so you find time to do it because you like it.

When a language is something you really want, when it’s something important to you, then you make time for it. You need to make time for it and be motivated.

You also need to be okay with failure which is #9

9. Be compassionate with yourself

You can’t learn a language without making mistakes. Big mistakes. In front of other people.

Sometimes you make big mistakes and they get reblogged [again, maybe a me thing], and you feel really bad about it.

You can’t learn anything overnight, and don’t fall for scams that say “be fluent in 3 months”. You need to devote time and effort, but you also need to not beat yourself up for being confused or getting something wrong, or failing a class, or getting a bad grade on a paper.

And sometimes you don’t have the time or emotional space to deal with language and you feel guilty when the Duolingo Owl passive aggressively reminds you it’s time to learn your language.

You do have to take responsibility for yourself, but you don’t need to punish yourself. Sometimes it’s as easy as, “Yeah, I didn’t manage my time correctly and I don’t have time for this right now but I will make time for it in the future,” or just a, “I really don’t understand this thing at all, but I know I’m not stupid so I need to figure out why I don’t understand this”.

Don’t get into the headspace of thinking that it needs to be perfect all of the time. There are times when I make mistakes and I know I’m fluent. I doubt myself a lot, but I know I’m fluent, and other times I feel like an impostor, but I know I’m fluent. I am/have been learning to trust in my skills and the things I’ve learned. And that helps.

It also helps when I have compassion for myself. Yes, I messed up the preposition, but I was understood and the rest of it was 99% correct. Yes I spelled the word wrong or I missed an accent mark, but I was understood. Yes, I failed that test, but that’s behind me and I know what I need to work on.

The more insecure you feel, the worse your language skills get. When you’re more relaxed, you’re not constantly overthinking everything.

So do practice, and do your best. But also don’t think that mistakes make you a failure. Because even the native speakers make mistakes and that doesn’t suddenly make them failures at their own language.

Just be nice to yourself.

[oh and you could move I guess and do a full immersion thing but that’s kind of extreme and expensive unless you’re studying abroad or you get a job overseas, then it’s kind of fun, but also a lot of stress and worry but if that’s what you want, you do it!]

Josh, I'm going to start out by saying you are by far one of my favorite video game designers, I admire all the effort you put in the characters and games you help make. My question is, what does it take to be a video game designer? I have always wanted to go into it, but where I live it isn`t really a possibility, so I am just going into teaching. Would one have to have technical skills or could one just write for them? Thanks!

Remote work is not just an increasing possibility, but a fact of life for many independent developers. I can’t speak from personal experience, but I know devs who work either completely (physically) independent from each other or with a small central team and a number of remote contractors. E.g. the Night in the Woods team was pretty spread out and Fullbright (Gone Home, Tacoma) has an office in Portland with some of their full-time devs living and working remotely.

If you have no experience in development and there are no university-style courses available in your area, I recommend modding existing games. It is by far the easiest and most productive way to try to get into game development. Even if you never get into development as a career, the process of modding can help expand your understanding and appreciation of the medium.

I always suggest starting with something simple. E.g., a while back I modded Skyrim’s arrows so the elven arrows were faster/flew farther and did less damage and the dwarven arrows were slower/flew less far and did more damage. It required changing only a few pieces of data. Once you get a handle on small things, try something more complex, but take things slowly.

Modding communities (like any internet communities) can be hit or miss, but they can be good places to learn from and network with other modders. Modding is not necessarily a gateway to working in development professionally, but it can be a strong element in your favor when applying for junior positions where most applicants have no professional experience.

Also, search #fssw #escort #escorting #escortsonly tags in tumblr and you’ll find a lot of information as well as blogs to follow. You may even find someone that’s within an area of close proximity to you that can provide more details through their blog.

Search for what advertising platforms are available in your area and once you’ve found them do a comparison of what some of the women offer, such as services and prices.

Determine whether you’d like to offer an incall or if you’ll only do outcalls.

Once you’ve got that all figured out and you start getting booking requests or inquiries, screen your clients.

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My premiere YA Fantasy novel, Threadcaster is available RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW for ebook and paperback. And if you order RIGHT NOW and send an email to threadcaster@gmail.com with proof of purchase and a valid mailing address you will get a free prize pack in the mail, including art, string, and more!

ebooks and paperback both count for the promotion. If the book is not yet available in your area send the proof as soon as you can with a note in the subject about the situation and I’ll honor it, Amazon is not your fault.

Hiya, would you be able to link me somewhere where I'd be able to find affordable vegetarian/ + vegan food alternatives? It's just that I want to reduce the amount of meat in my diet before coming vegetarian to see how well I can do currently with my very low food budget. I might not be able to move away from meat completely but I want to have a solid attempt of finding alternative recipes to integrate into my diet. Soya and almond milk I feel queasy taking them so I may remove milk entirely?

Hi! Absolutely! And I’ll share it so other folks can take a look too if they want.

@acti-veg has some really stellar posts about pretty much anything and everything you’d want to know about going vegan. They even have a “vegan on a budget” tag, but here are some posts I picked out for you.

I totally get the low budget thing, and a lot of people start going vegan to save money. Rice, beans, and frozen vegetables are going to be your friend. Tofu and tempeh are a great, cheap source of protein, but nothing beats canned beans and lentils.Nutritional yeast lasts forever, has protein and vitamin B12, and you can sprinkle it on anything (it tastes like cheesy flakes). It’s pretty much a staple of vegan life (it’s a poorly kept secret that we’re all kind of hooked on it).

Vegan phone apps are also super helpful, either for finding nearby vegan food, or for looking up ingredients and recipes. (HappyCow is my personal favorite vegan food finder).

I’m not sure where you live, so I can’t say for sure what will be available in your area, but if you can’t use soy or almond milk, that’s okay! You can also use rice milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, oat milk, hemp milk, and I think I saw quinoa and hazelnut milk once? I personally love cashew milk, it’s very thick and creamy.

I also have a vegan blog at @vegannerdgirl if you have any more questions. Sometimes I’ll get personal and talk about my medical conditions and health, and how my veganism ties in to all that.

So yeah, I hope that helped! And you can always keep in touch. Nothing makes this easier than having a community who will support you and people you can reach out to. :) Let me know how it goes!